Development and Validation of High Strain Rate Model for Water Ice

Abstract

There is significant interest within the European Space Agency (ESA) in Space Penetrator technology as an additional option for inter-planetary exploration. The concept seeks to embed a penetrator into the planetary surface and then to perform in situ scientific measurements, such as mass spectrometry and physical properties characterisation, which are communicated back to an orbiting spacecraft. The main ballistic challenge is to design the penetrator system so that the penetrator and payload survive the high deceleration gee loading. A key challenge is to understand the high strain rate response of the planetary surface water ice. This paper describes efforts to conduct Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) Tests on ice samples without cracks or bubbles at -10â°C and -80â°C and small scale ballistic tests. Simulations are used to predict the results to provide a better understanding of the penetration process in ice.